


Testing Boundaries

by Kahtya Sofia (KahtyaSofia)



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Gen, Last Author Standing - jack&ianto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-15
Updated: 2011-02-15
Packaged: 2017-10-15 16:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/162900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KahtyaSofia/pseuds/Kahtya%20Sofia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto searches for an explanation for Jack's behavior.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Testing Boundaries

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Round 1, Challenge 1 of jack_ianto_las. I made it through to the second challenge.
> 
> Prompt: the right time to lie

“You can’t keep lying to us, Jack!” Gwen shouted above the sound the cog door rolling back.

“I can, and I will,” Jack snapped as he strode through the Hub. He knew it was futile; Gwen wasn’t going to let it go.

“It’s wrong, Jack.” Gwen pursued him into his office. “Lying is wrong.”

Jack spun on her, advancing with menace. “I’ll remember you said that, the next time you open those huge doe-eyes at someone, and tell them everything’s going to be _just fine_. When you know damn well, they or someone they love, is going to die, go to jail, or be cryogenically frozen.”

Gwen’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She stared at Jack, stunned and speechless.

He realized Ianto was standing just beyond Gwen, watching them intently. It was the only thing that kept Jack from saying more. Ianto’s presence was what kept Jack from saying something to Gwen, intended to draw blood.

The only sound in the Hub was that of water cascading down the tower.

“Everyone _go home_ ,” Jack said, with quiet intensity. They damn well better not argue.

Tosh and Owen gathered their things and fled quickly. Gwen looked as though she were about to draw breath and launch another salvo.

“Let it go, Gwen,” Ianto said softly, stepping around her and into Jack’s office.

Jack let Ianto divest him of his greatcoat. As always, Ianto’s touch was gentle and calming. Jack leaned into his hands. The sight of Gwen, turning on her heel and striding out of the Hub, drained away the last of Jack’s anger.

“Would you like take-away,” Ianto asked, hanging Jack’s coat on the rack. “Want to go out somewhere? Should I leave you alone?”

Jack sighed and went to sit behind his desk. “Take-away would be great, I’ve got some work to do. No, I don’t want you to leave.”

Ianto appeared beside Jack’s desk, perching on the edge. He opened the first-aid kit. Ianto took one of Jack’s hands, and began to clean the bloody and abraded knuckles.

“You don’t need to do that, Ianto,” Jack said, hoping Ianto would ignore him.

“Unless you plan on dying, sometime in the next few days, then these will have to heal in the regular fashion.” Ianto didn’t look up from his work when he spoke. “Might as well clean them up, a bit.”

Jack made his capitulation appear reluctant. Ianto’s hands were soft and warm, his touch was gentle. Jack felt himself relax slowly, in stages, as Ianto cleaned away his dried blood.

“You looked like you knew just what you were doing today,” Ianto said, breaking their extended silence.

“Don’t I always?” Jack tried to deflect.

“It seemed as though you knew just where to press, or where to hit, and in the end, where to cut, in order to get that man to tell you what you wanted to know.”

Ianto hadn’t asked a question, so Jack didn’t speak.

“Someone teach you how to torture people for information, Jack?” Ianto’s tone was mild, but carried an edge.

“I’ve picked up a few things, along the way,” Jack replied, matching his tone to Ianto’s.

“Why was this particular talent necessary for you to master?” Ianto still didn’t glance up, even as he started working on Jack’s other hand.

“Torchwood teaches all manner of information extraction, Ianto.”

“We deal with aliens, Jack. Not much need to be torturing humans for information, now is there?”

Jack knew Ianto wouldn’t be easily distracted.

“Need didn’t always have anything to do with it,” Jack said, taking his hand back from Ianto. “Alice and Emily most often did things for the fun of it.”

That much was the truth. How Jack had learned to effectively torture other beings, and why the Time Agency had exploited his skill, were two very long stories, connected by a single, thin thread.

“You’re saying Alice and Emily taught you how to torture people?” Ianto was looking right at Jack, daring him to lie without blinking.

“I didn’t say they taught me. I just said they liked to do that sort of thing for sport. It _is_ a skill that’s easily mastered while forced to work for them, though.”

Ianto knew Jack had a dark side, and a very dark and dangerous past. He never pressed for information, but it was generally expected that if Jack _did_ talk, it would be the truth.

“It’s necessary, sometimes,” Jack said, leaning back in his chair and running the tips of his fingers over his lower lip. “Human are often the worst monsters of all.”

It was that very thin thread - the one that connected the two stories of Jack’s past - that Ianto wasn’t quite prepared to deal with, yet. Certain things had to happen. Ianto’s reality had to change a bit, first, before he would have the capacity to comprehend it all.

Until then, Jack was sticking with his story.

“So, yes,” he said, meeting Ianto’s eyes unflinchingly. “Torchwood taught me how to extract information through torture.”

 


End file.
